So, on Ada Lovelace Day we're asked to
blog about women in IT who we admire. I can do this. The tricky part is choosing only one, 'cause I know a lot of women with technical chops. So I'll go back a bit.
Carol Kinne is an artist, emeritus professor at Colgate College in NY, and graphic designer. She's my father's first cousin, and she was a major influence on my choice of what directions I took my computer exploration in high-school. She was the first person I knew with a Commodore Amiga, and she made some sophisticated 2- and 3-d art with it.
In my recollection, she also basically dragged my uncle, parents, and myself onto a sort-of Bulletin Board system we called "AllenNet," hosted on my uncle's email server (via dialup through his employer- they gave him an 800 number to check his email- and we used it to keep in weekly (or so) touch, in the late 80s. Fun times.
Last I heard she was exhibiting in Paris and co-presenting a movie in New York with her partner, Bob.
She's also raised award-winning Samoyed dogs since I was little, and running a Samoyed rescue club for ages.
I've fallen out of touch, recently, but I still think she's been a strongly positive influence on me, and I expect a number of other people as well.